happy birthday, daddy!

i could tell you all the reasons i love my daddy, like i did last year ... and what good care he takes of me ... but i'm not very good at typing yet, so instead, here's a look at the last year that daddy and i shared:

weekend update - with apologies

the weekend update was ready yesterday but a snafu with the often-hinky blogger video module caused the post to fail. as i was posting while running out the door (and doing several other multi-tasky things), we didn't realize until today that it had not gone through. so ... apologies. and llvj.o.u. another post ...

without further ado ... the weekend update:

a fun-filled weekend for us ...

saturday morning found us at the pool, enjoying the water and the sunny-but-not-too-hot weather. there happened to be a birthday party while we were there and jack enjoyed watching the "happy birthday balloons" and hearing everyone sing.

after a trip home for lunch and a nap, jack awoke to the news that we were going to the farm! it was montgomery county's annual farm tour and we took advantage of it with a trip out to homestead farm.

jack was excited and enjoyed the drive out through a more rural part of the county that included several private horse farms.

we arrived and found a lot of fun to be had at the farm ...

the whole drive home jack repeatedly told us, "i like farm." they had tractors to take folks out to the blackberry patches and peach orchards to do your own picking, but jack was quite scared by the giant tractors pulling pontoon-like wagons behind them. we settled for buying a few pints of already-picked blackberries and white peaches, ears of corn and tomatoes and enjoying them at home. however, despite the tears when initially facing the tractor, jack also told us he wanted to ride the tractor. next time, buddy, next time.

once back at home, we rounded out the evening with a bit more basketball play ... a near daily activity ... and did a little farming of our own:

sunday brought an invitation to brunch with friends. the crowd ended up being six parents and five kids ... jack had a good time playing with ethan, just two months older than he, and watching out for 9 month-old "baby james."

a long brunch led to the need for a nap and jack took a long one. we had hoped for some more afternoon pool time, but the heavens did not cooperate, so instead we enjoyed some indoor imaginative play and storytime.

we had a really nice weekend, though it was nice when monday morning came and 'xana walked back in the door!

daycare summary

so what started as a very difficult week ended up quite well.

jack had a good time at daycare and overall it was a net positive. also, not having to scramble with piecemeal care or take off a week of work and burn our vacation was a huge boon.


here's how his day on friday went:

but ... he was very glad to see roxana again this morning. after an initial standoffishness (which is typical of any transition for jack, whether it's mommy coming home from work in the evening or mamaxana coming back from vacation) he was very happy to be by her side. he even told her "need mamaxana!" which made her beam. there are promises that jack's buddy, roxana's daughter "sesi," will visit tomorrow.

also on tomorrow's docket ... our weekend update. and not to tease or anything but we have some fun pictures to share, so check back!!

many media

jack has been doing quite a bit of art at daycare this week.

today we arrived and they were finger painting. jack was quite interested, but a little reluctant. in the end, he declined the offer to finger paint, opting instead just to wash his hands. guess he felt messy just looking at it!

but ... here's a look at some of his other art from the week using many different media:



"happy birthday, nana" crayon on paper

"moon and stars" sponge paint on paper

untitled, chalk on construction paper

mommy and daddy lavishly praised jack's chalk creation last night ... even showing it to floyd. jack was very proud of his work and the fuss we made over it.

he also had another good day yesterday ... as we knew he would.

(single-click the image to enlarge it)

more daycare

as the morning portended ... yesterday was our best day at daycare to date!

(single click the image to enlarge it)

today was the best drop-off yet ... when we rounded the corner into the hallway leading to daycare, jack (who saw it monday and started to panic) said, "my schoooool!" and while he did implore me, "stay here, mama," he was quickly mollified by suggestions that he read max & ruby with one of the teachers.

daycare update

well ... monday's drop-off was rough. jack was chipper in the car and walking up the stairs to the daycare, but as soon as we walked down the hall leading to the center, he recognized where we were and became very trepidatious. "mommy scary," he told me with concern written all over his face.

but we soldiered on and went into jack's classroom. that's where he got upset and started crying, telling me, "mama, want to go home!" eventually mommy pried herself away and blew jack kisses. it was a tough goodbye, but we knew jack would be okay once he settled in.

and he was:


(remember you can single-click an image to enlarge it)

tuesday went slightly better with jack less afraid to walk in the door, but still clinging and tearful when it was time for goodbye. hearing him cry for the second day in a row was hard, but he bounced back:

the center even sent mommy some pictures of jack at mid-day to ease any concerns about leaving him. clearly he settled in just fine!

it was a busy couple of days, with jack exploring many new activities and skills.


today's drop-off was the most successful to date, with no tears (from jack or mommy!) . by week's end he probably won't want to miss going to daycare when roxana returns!

Alexander the Grape?

One of the small joys of parenting is watching kids develop names for their favorite people -- friends, relatives, neighbors. Often, these names are so much fun that we parents find ourselves using them.

For instance, our friend Diane is "Auntie Dine," because Garrett and Grace called her that. And Garrett and Grace are called "The Dee-Dees" because that's what they called each other.

Grandparents are prime territory for these pet names. Alicia's parents are Nana and Granddad. My parents are Grandma and Grandpa (which tend to come out as "GammaGampa").

Last night, Jack and I had occasion to call my beloved grandmother in Ohio. Our nephews Brady and Parker call her "Grandma Great," which seemed like a good moniker to adopt. So I told Jack that we were going to call Grandma Great and say hello.

He loved this idea, but somehow in the synapses he combined two of his favorite things -- grandmothers and fruit, and came up with "Gamma-Grape." "Bye Bye, Gamma Grape!" "Love you, Gamma Grape!"

That's one that's going to stick, I think.

weekend update - text edition

while our weekend was full ... we did not get a chance to see nana this weekend. and, the truth is, nana contributes fully 50% of the photos (if not more) seen on this here blog.

so ... ipso fatso ... no pix.

we are sorry and will endeavor to do better. where have you heard that before?

and it is a shame ... because it's a weekend full of photo ops ... starting with saturday's outing to our local plaza for a haircut at the barbershop.

while it was not an unqualified success, it was our best outing to date. jack only started crying at the very end when they brought out the clippers for his sideburns and he only had to be appeased with two lollipops. the woman who did it was very good and for the most part, jack was brave and patient.

he was rewarded in the post-nap afternoon with a trip to the park (in the 100-degree+ heat index, ugh!) and then, mercifully, to the pool with mommy and daddy.

sunday brought another visit to the pool ... this one hosting jack's pal kylie. she and jack had a great time splashing in the baby pool and getting water dumped on them by kylie's dad.

the post-nap interval brought another steamy trip to the park and then playtime in the yard ... including basketball, golfball and bubbles. jack finished up with a huge dinner, a shower with daddy and a nice bedtime routine with mommy, including the first-time reading of "the bunnies are not in their beds," which jack quite enjoyed (let's hope it didn't give him any ideas!).

monday morning meant the start of roxana's vacation and, accordingly, jack's drop-off at day care. let's just day it didn't go as smoothly as hoped for. but, with any luck, he will have a good day and it will get better as the week progresses.

for the rest of the week, we'll feature jack's progress reports from day care. we were calling it school, but with the start of "real" nursery school looming in september, i don't want to make any negative associations with that word.

this morning i told jack he was at his work. "daddy went to work ... mommy's going to work ... and jack goes to work here, playing with all the fun toys and all the kids."

great. now i've made him hate work ... he'll still be living with us when he's thirty!! sometimes you can't win ... you screw them up eventually, somehow. at least we will be able to pinpoint it. it's the little things ...

Hangin' Out

As those who've met him can attest, Jack isn't much of a "sitter." He's more likely to be running around (and around and around). But last evening was an exception.

Jack wanted to blow bubbles on the driveway. After a long day at work, I was happy to join in, but I grabbed a lawn chair so I didn't have to sit on the blacktop. Jack thought this was a splendid idea, got his own chair and climbed on up.

So there we sat, taking turns blowing bubbles and watching the world go by.

After a while, he said, "Daddy, talk me." He wanted to chat. So I told him about my day, asked him about his day ("Gooooooood!").

Then he pointed to some clouds in the sky -- "Look, Daddy! Clouds!"

"I see them!" I said. "They look like cotton balls."

"No Daddy -- birthday balloons!"

"Why, I think you're right -- they DO look like birthday balloons."

"No, Daddy -- basketballs!"

Then we went back to quietly taking turns blowing bubbles.

Just two dudes hanging out on the driveway, shooting the breeze. I felt a strange urge to whittle. Certainly, 20 of the most pleasant minutes I've ever spent.

playing doctor

jack likes to play doctor with his doctor kit.

the kit was a present from nana to try to help him deal with some of his anxiety about visiting his pediatrician's office.

it has definitely helped, and in between visits (which are longer and longer stretches now that he's 2 years old) he likes to be the doctor with mommy or daddy as his patient.

except that he's the craziest doctor you've ever seen. here's how a typical exam with dr. jack goes:

1. he dumps the entire contents of his doctor bag onto the floor
2. he puts the stethoscope in your ears and checks *your* hearing
3. he whacks you (hard!) in the knee with the knee hammer
4. he looks in your ear with the otoscope. sometimes he also talks/yells into it. after which, he really should repeat step 2 because his patient is now temporarily deaf
5. he gives you several shots. all in the bony part of the top of your hand. ouch!!
6. he checks your throat by gagging you with a mirror
7. he removes the squeeze part of the two-piece blood pressure cuff and instead blows in to the hole where the tube goes until the dial spins around. then he makes you do it. then he declares, "my turn!" and blows into it again.

sound like quackery? i think it is. but it's also pretty funny.

and now we can brag on "our son, the doctor."

more weekend pix

these come to us courtesy of nana and grandad (as did some yummy steaks, salad and ice cream on sunday night!!):


splendid in the grass ...

sick ups

a la blues clues: we sit down in our thinking chair and think ... think ... thi-ih-ink"

"i need a haircut!!"

playing "incredible hulk" for laughs

bubble bath!

clean machine

brush it how ya like ... you're still getting a haircut soon!

(self)portrait of the baby as a young man ... age 25 months

trash day!

tuesday mornings are our favorite of the week ... owing to the fact that it's trash collection day.

here are a couple of (cell phone) video vignettes from our morning:

(Ed Note: to see versions with closed-captioning, double click the video to launch a new YouTube window)

weekend update

this weekend was mostly unscheduled, but we did have lucy's 4th birthday party on saturday morning. jack was a little shy when we first got there, but warmed up with daddy's help (mommy got called in to work and took off) and enjoyed the park where the party was held and doing a "nature walk" with daddy. according to jack, on a nature walk, "look for bird ... look for animals -- squirrels."

after the party and a nap, daddy and jack hit the plaza. they had fun in the pet store shopping for a new litter box and visiting guinea pigs and almost got jack's hair cut. almost. jack, as regular readers may recall, has an aversion to haircuts. so we've been talking it up lately. telling him he needs a hair cut ... explaining how the hair will fall down on his lap and the floor and will be swept up ... reminding him that his hair will be tugged on and the scissors will sound noisy "snip snip" by his ears. and he's been okay with that. we also remind him that the barbershop has birdies in cages to look at, and that he gets a lollipop to eat when he gets his hair cut.

so he marched into the barber shop ready for his haircut on saturday. he saw the birds and noted that they were, as last time, eating "sandwich" (they had pieces of white bread in the cage). but when it came time for action, jack hit the road. maybe next week.

on sunday we enjoyed a nice homemade pancake breakfast, at jack's request, and then headed to the pool. jack looks very cute in his various swim costumes, and has gotten so confident around the pool grounds. i would have more photos, except that mommy spends much of her time ensuring that jack does not fall into mortal peril. so these sedate ones wrapped in a towel and eating snack will have to represent his time at the pool.

after lunch and a nap, jack was raring to go. he and daddy played basketball outside and jack showed off his mad skillz.

jam!

he also requested another nature walk, which in this case consisted of looking for newspapers (they're nature too, right?) and was happily playing golf in the front yard when nana and granddad arrived.

jack enjoyed showing off for them and engaging them in his many games, his dinner, and his bath time.

back to work today ... on a break from our busy weekend!

Hey, Big Spender

Jack is beginning to learn the rudimentary basics of capitalism. His first introduction to the concept of 'money' came at the park. When the magic ice cream truck rolled up, Daddy pulled out his pockets and said, "Sorry, Buddy -- no money." "No money," came Jack's reply. (Roxana has mastered the same neat trick).

This morning when I went to get him out of bed, he looked up at me and said "Daddy, need money." When I asked him why, he said "Need go store." And when I asked him what he needed at the store, he said "Cereal bars." It was cool to see him put all those concepts (Need A to go to B to buy C) together.

Since it was 6:15 a.m., I told him he was more than welcome to take my car keys and drive himself to the Safeway. He passed up the offer, and settled for milk, cheerios and watching Oobi on the couch.

Next week: The need for greater federal regulations of the chicken nugget derivative trading market in the wake of higher commodity prices and tightening global credit.

dream a little dream

sorry for missing our posting yesterday ... we were too sleepy to blog.

both monday and tuesday nights, jack awakened a little after midnight crying and shaken. we presume from nightmares. he told us "scared" so we can only presume ...

monday night he said, "i want mommy and daddy room," so a bleary-eyed michael brought jack into bed between us. an utterly konked out mommy did not even awaken. and a very drowsy jack saw mommy in a black shirt and immediately said, "i want to pet floyd" and began petting mommy's arm. when daddy told him, "no, that's mama, not floyd," jack happily said, "mama!" and snuggled down. mommy did not wake up for any of this.

eventually jack (who did not snuggle down for long) went back to bed in his own crib, and when he awakened tuesday night we already knew not to take him out of his own bed, despite his crying and pleas for "mommy and daddy room." instead we took turns bending over the crib, giving him hugs through the slats and soothing him (eventually) back to sleep.

and what do you know? no bad dreams and no wake-ups last night. fingers crossed that trend continues!

10k!

no ... not a 10k race. let's get one thing clear: no one's running. this is llvj. are you totally mental?

but ... we have gotten over 10,000 page views!! quite an auspicious milestone.

and no ... those are not all from mommy checking out the fruits of her labor ... i set the counter to exclude me and started from 00001 ... so it's legit. it may be 50% grandmother views, but legit, nonetheless.

so, thanks for your interest. it's amazing to think that such a variety of people have checked in on jack 10,000 times.

here's to another 10k!

independence weekend update

the llvj family enjoyed a three-day weekend (the first time mommy has had the 4th of july off in nearly a decade!) and celebrated "happy birthday america," as jack decided to call it.

happy birthday, america!

we started off with a neighborhood parade, that culminated in a big party at the park -- complete with food, rides (which seemed like fun until you were on them ...), moonbounces and lots of people!

jack did not stay up to watch any fireworks, and was not even awakened from his slumber when the neighborhood kids lit some off nearby. maybe next year ...

saturday brought us rain, which led us to some shopping errands. our family of three has not been to the mall since jack was just a baby ... but daddy packed his patience and braved the insanity of l.l. bean. daddy and jack checked out the fish while mommy tried on new bathing suits. let's just say the boys had more fun.

and because that was not enough shopping, jack and mommy headed out to toys 'r' us in the afternoon. it was jack's first ever trip to the toy-mecca, and mommy's first in ages, where she was pleasantly surprised that it's no longer the dingy place she remembers but now has display train tables and well-organized aisles. when jack finally was pulled away from the train table set, we found the sports aisle and purchased an outdoor basketball hoop -- a birthday gift from grandma and grandpa. jack was so happy about getting to pick his special present, and on the way home kept asking, "where's grandma and grandpa?" as if we'd left them behind in the store.

sunday consisted of playing every sport known to man. in between some viewing of wimbeldon, jack insisted on "outside" for playing basketball, "golf ball," "soccer ball," and lacrosse. let's just say it was a very active day in the yard and in the park. thank goodness he hasn't heard of cricket yet!!

it was a great family weekend and a very happy birthday for america.

thawing relations

while they're not quite yet bff's, things between jack and floyd are getting better ... guess you'd call them "frenemies."

what's news?

well ... why don't you just ask jack:

we're turning him into a news junkie at the age of 2! he did pause his perusal of the metro section to look over at blues clues for a moment ...

guess that portends a *tv* news junkie, huh?

discipline

to discipline thus means to instruct a person or animal to follow a particular code of conduct, or to adhere to a certain "order." consequently, "in the field of child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling character and of teaching self-control and acceptable behavior."

well ... this morning we had some character modeling and self-control teaching to do. hoo boy, did we ever.

first ... jack has proven to be (among his many charming attributes) willful, stubborn, and truly enamored of television. not necessarily in that order. who can say where he gets this from ... well, some can say. and if they say "mommy," don't believe a word of it. well, except maybe the tee-vee part.

but when these three traits combine ... it becomes a "hat-trick" of lunacy chez jack.

and so it was this morning. daddy had the gall to turn off pinky dinky doo because

1. jack wasn't watching it
2. it's not particularly age-appropriate
3. jack had already watched enough television for the morning

well ... this did not sit well with jack who immediately abandoned the little people zoo he was playing with to try to turn the television back on.

and when prevented from doing this? well ... he hit daddy.

and in our house, that's it. time out. no questions asked.

and let's just say jack didn't make it easy on us. screaming and crying, hitting the wall, trying to leave his time out area ... but eventually the timer chimed, time out was over, tissues were proffered, and jack calmed down.

but he didn't want to give daddy a hug after the time out.

when roxana arrived for the day, we told her about his earlier infraction and resulting time out. and jack said, "go time out. no hit. hug daddy. all done."

so, although the physical embrace was refused, the mental one apparently took hold.

and hopefully so will this discipline over our little disciple.